Angola Celebrates 10 Years of Peace
April 4, 2014
April 4 marks the day that ended the darkest period of the history of Angola, and saw the realisation of the legitimate aspirations of the Angolan people: the attainment of peace.April 4, 2002 saw the signing of what is known as the Complementary Memorandum of Understanding to the Lusaka Protocol between the Angolan government and UNITA, the former rebel movement.
A decisive element in the realisation of this event was the political will of the signatory parties, which authorised the leaders of the two armies to hold discussion without foreign mediation over a period of two weeks.
During the long period of war, the negotiated solution proved to be the only way of silencing the guns of war and inspiring hope in the Angolan people that peace was possible.
This belief and the implacable will of His Excellency President José Eduardo dos Santos to reconcile the entirety of the great nation of Angola, without any vindictiveness, inspired its people to unite under a common effort to rebuild the country when the guns had barely fallen silent.
In the last 10 years, Angola has been transformed and its people have gained the necessary courage to take up the enormous challenge of ensuring a better future for us all.
The economy and social development of the country improves with contribution from various sectors. Crude oil, a major foreign currency earner, is the main source of the General State Budget, accounting for over 80 percent of the tax revenue and is the mainstay of the country’s imports.
The emphasis at the moment is on refining more of the country’s crude oil and producing fuels, lubricants, tints and solvents, etc. The geological and mining sector registered an average annual growth rate of 11,8 percent, which is consolidated by an average annual production rate of quartz and construction materials such as sand, gravel and flint stone, which are derived from mining.
In the diamond industry, activities are underway intended — in addition to extraction — to valorise all the stages of the chain in this industry, from the commercialisation of raw diamonds to their transformation, including jewellery making.
As a result of public and private sector co-operation, the exploration of iron and manganese has been resumed, with an integrated project that includes the metallurgical and iron and steel industry.
Within the framework of educational reform that is currently underway, the Angolan executive remains committed to expanding the educational network, improving educational quality and reinforcing efficacy and equity at all levels of the education system. In order to overcome the challenge of reducing the country’s electricity deficit to zero, the rehabilitation of the Gove, Mabubas, Lomaum and Cambambe I Dams is currently underway.
These undertakings are expected to provide an additional 295,6 megawatts to the electricity supply system.
The Angolan executive is committed to ensuring that all Angolans have access to quality and sufficiently varied food at all times, so as to contribute to human, economic and social development within the country.
To this end, programmes are being developed with a view to increasing food production, especially in the family sector.
The sector for transport, basic infrastructure and logistics was the sub-programme that registered the most marked growth. Six thousand five hundred kilometres of highway were rehabilitated and constructed, hundreds of bridges were erected, railway lines were re-laid, airports were rehabilitated and trade and logistics were increased. At the moment the Benguela railways has returned to the Zambia and DRC boarders, after a long restructuring of the railway lines and de-mining the areas where they were placed.
In addition to petroleum sector, which is by far the most important in the Angolan economy, the increasing dynamism of the construction, agriculture, industry and services sectors, illustrates the increasing contribution of the non-petroleum sector to Gross Domestic Product.
There are visible efforts to rehabilitate and reconstruct highways, bridges, schools and hospitals, etc; and to create the conditions necessary for employment creation through an articulated professional training programme.
In terms of legislature, we have a multi-party parliamentary system that was voted in during elections held two years ago, which were unanimously considered by the international community to be free and fair.
We are approving a new constitution and strengthening the functional establishment of a market economy that is open to foreign investment but has clearly defined operational rules. In 2000, the United Nations set down objectives to be realised by member states by 2015, so as to reduce by half all the specified indices.
Eight of the objectives (also known as Millennium Development Goals) set down were as follows:
1. To eradicate extreme poverty and hunger;
2. To achieve universal primary school education;
3. To promote equality between the sexes and the emancipation of women;
4. To reduce infant mortality;
5. To improve maternal health;
6. To combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases;
7. To ensure environmental sustainability;
8. To create a global partnership for development.
Angola has been responding to all these concerns by not only organising the basic conditions and allocating the resources necessary for concrete actions, but also by training and mobilising the entire society with a view to successfully realising these objectives.
We are hosting important political, social, sporting and cultural events and attaining important political positions within the international arena.
Today, the name of Angola is spoken of and respected throughout the world, and important economic partnerships having been established with countries in different continents, on a perfectly equal footing and in defence of our national interests.
However, we have only been able to do this by attaining the highest reaches of peace, under the wise and competent leadership of our President, His Excellency Engineer José Eduardo dos Santos, whom the people trust to continue to guide our destinies.
But the certainty that “war is now behind us” despite the differences and contradictions inherent to living together in a democratic society, allows Angolans to sigh with relief. At last, war is no more!
It was a peace arduously won, stamped with much blood, sweat and tears.
But today, 10 years after this memorable date and with pride we can categorically state: it was well worth it.
Embassy of Angola in Zimbabwe.
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| President Jose Eduardo dos Santos of the Republic of Angola. |
April 4 marks the day that ended the darkest period of the history of Angola, and saw the realisation of the legitimate aspirations of the Angolan people: the attainment of peace.April 4, 2002 saw the signing of what is known as the Complementary Memorandum of Understanding to the Lusaka Protocol between the Angolan government and UNITA, the former rebel movement.
A decisive element in the realisation of this event was the political will of the signatory parties, which authorised the leaders of the two armies to hold discussion without foreign mediation over a period of two weeks.
During the long period of war, the negotiated solution proved to be the only way of silencing the guns of war and inspiring hope in the Angolan people that peace was possible.
This belief and the implacable will of His Excellency President José Eduardo dos Santos to reconcile the entirety of the great nation of Angola, without any vindictiveness, inspired its people to unite under a common effort to rebuild the country when the guns had barely fallen silent.
In the last 10 years, Angola has been transformed and its people have gained the necessary courage to take up the enormous challenge of ensuring a better future for us all.
The economy and social development of the country improves with contribution from various sectors. Crude oil, a major foreign currency earner, is the main source of the General State Budget, accounting for over 80 percent of the tax revenue and is the mainstay of the country’s imports.
The emphasis at the moment is on refining more of the country’s crude oil and producing fuels, lubricants, tints and solvents, etc. The geological and mining sector registered an average annual growth rate of 11,8 percent, which is consolidated by an average annual production rate of quartz and construction materials such as sand, gravel and flint stone, which are derived from mining.
In the diamond industry, activities are underway intended — in addition to extraction — to valorise all the stages of the chain in this industry, from the commercialisation of raw diamonds to their transformation, including jewellery making.
As a result of public and private sector co-operation, the exploration of iron and manganese has been resumed, with an integrated project that includes the metallurgical and iron and steel industry.
Within the framework of educational reform that is currently underway, the Angolan executive remains committed to expanding the educational network, improving educational quality and reinforcing efficacy and equity at all levels of the education system. In order to overcome the challenge of reducing the country’s electricity deficit to zero, the rehabilitation of the Gove, Mabubas, Lomaum and Cambambe I Dams is currently underway.
These undertakings are expected to provide an additional 295,6 megawatts to the electricity supply system.
The Angolan executive is committed to ensuring that all Angolans have access to quality and sufficiently varied food at all times, so as to contribute to human, economic and social development within the country.
To this end, programmes are being developed with a view to increasing food production, especially in the family sector.
The sector for transport, basic infrastructure and logistics was the sub-programme that registered the most marked growth. Six thousand five hundred kilometres of highway were rehabilitated and constructed, hundreds of bridges were erected, railway lines were re-laid, airports were rehabilitated and trade and logistics were increased. At the moment the Benguela railways has returned to the Zambia and DRC boarders, after a long restructuring of the railway lines and de-mining the areas where they were placed.
In addition to petroleum sector, which is by far the most important in the Angolan economy, the increasing dynamism of the construction, agriculture, industry and services sectors, illustrates the increasing contribution of the non-petroleum sector to Gross Domestic Product.
There are visible efforts to rehabilitate and reconstruct highways, bridges, schools and hospitals, etc; and to create the conditions necessary for employment creation through an articulated professional training programme.
In terms of legislature, we have a multi-party parliamentary system that was voted in during elections held two years ago, which were unanimously considered by the international community to be free and fair.
We are approving a new constitution and strengthening the functional establishment of a market economy that is open to foreign investment but has clearly defined operational rules. In 2000, the United Nations set down objectives to be realised by member states by 2015, so as to reduce by half all the specified indices.
Eight of the objectives (also known as Millennium Development Goals) set down were as follows:
1. To eradicate extreme poverty and hunger;
2. To achieve universal primary school education;
3. To promote equality between the sexes and the emancipation of women;
4. To reduce infant mortality;
5. To improve maternal health;
6. To combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases;
7. To ensure environmental sustainability;
8. To create a global partnership for development.
Angola has been responding to all these concerns by not only organising the basic conditions and allocating the resources necessary for concrete actions, but also by training and mobilising the entire society with a view to successfully realising these objectives.
We are hosting important political, social, sporting and cultural events and attaining important political positions within the international arena.
Today, the name of Angola is spoken of and respected throughout the world, and important economic partnerships having been established with countries in different continents, on a perfectly equal footing and in defence of our national interests.
However, we have only been able to do this by attaining the highest reaches of peace, under the wise and competent leadership of our President, His Excellency Engineer José Eduardo dos Santos, whom the people trust to continue to guide our destinies.
But the certainty that “war is now behind us” despite the differences and contradictions inherent to living together in a democratic society, allows Angolans to sigh with relief. At last, war is no more!
It was a peace arduously won, stamped with much blood, sweat and tears.
But today, 10 years after this memorable date and with pride we can categorically state: it was well worth it.
Embassy of Angola in Zimbabwe.
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